Abstract

The reality of the soul, its levels and actions, and its relation to the body havealways been among the most important philosophical issues, andevidence for this may be found even in the most ancient philosophicaldeliberations of the Greeks and others.In the philosophical traditions of the Islamic world as well, serious attemptshave been made to present a “science of the soul” which is in accord with thespirit of Islamic philosophical sciences. In the Transcendent Philosophy, onthe other hand, a version of science of the soul has been presented whichboth justifies the concrete sphere of “the immaterial and material soul” anddescribes “the soul’s becoming and seeking for perfection”. In addition, it isfully consistent with the components and overall structure of theTranscendent Philosophy.Based on doctrines of principiality of existence, motion in substance, bodilyorigination and spiritually subsistence of the soul, Mulla Sadra depicts man’ssoul and its station in such a way which is free from usual inconsistencies ofphilosophical traditions in this regard. At the same time, based on the Bookand tradition, he opens a new window to man’s existence through which theexistential dimensions of man are seen in correspondence and as beingsimilar to the whole cosmos. Though, in this way, Mulla Sadra has madeuses of the Peripatetic and Illuminationist traditions of his forerunners, hisown innovations are unrivalled and exceptionally strong